How The Hunger Games Ate My Weekend

I spent last weekend in a different place than I normally do: I was swept away into the fictional world of Panem, the dystopian setting of Suzanne Collins’ blockbuster Hunger Games trilogy.

I had long resisted reading the series. I don’t usually like dystopian fantasy. Children in peril is not my thing. But many highly-literate friends and acquaintances recommended it (including the dean of admissions of a top M.B.A. program).

So with the Hunger Games movie opening last weekend I decided to take the leap into the books.

I quickly got sucked into the Hunger Games vortex. Yoga class or jog? Early night’s sleep? Forget it–finding out what would happen to heroine Katniss and hero Peeta was far more important. (Luckily I didn’t have a busy weekend and my kids were getting over colds so they napped a lot.)

I’ve written before about how it is hard to find time to read, when work, family, home and a zillion other things are vying for my attention. But time management expert and WSJ contributor Laura Vanderkam has written that one way to find hidden reading time is to find an “absolute page turner,” such as a Harry Potter book, The Da Vinci Code, or yes, The Hunger Games. She writes:

You’ll find that you tend to re-purpose time from other things in order to find out what happens next. You sneak in 30 minutes of reading when other people are at lunch. You read on the bus instead of scrolling through your email. You read while waiting for things to heat up in the microwave, and you read at night instead of turning on the TV or your laptop. You read in bed, or even figure out a way to shower quicker so that you can read more in the morning.

Vanderkam adds that after the book is finished, you’ll probably return to your typical schedule. But it’s smart to take note of some of those pockets of time you found to finish the page-turner and maybe use that time in the future to pack in more reading.

In my case, I’m almost done with the third book, Mockingjay. Even though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my journey to Panem, I’m looking forward to finishing the book and finally getting back to my normal routine. After all, unwatched shows filled up my DVR and magazines piled up while I was deep in the trilogy!

Of course, I’ll also face a new quandary: When will I find time to catch the movie?

Readers, for Friday fun, share with us your favorite page turners. How and when did you squeeze in time to read them?

You'll have to let me know how you like it! Unless you hate it; then perhaps you'd better stay tactfully quiet ^_^.

10:16 pm March 30, 2012

MBT to Lark wrote :

I, too, am planning for my winnings. I'm out of town, and have actually devoted time to figuring out the best way to get the ticket back home with me safely, without having a heart attack. It certainly helped pass the time on the drive. 45 more minutes to complete my planning before my bubble is burst.

About The Juggle

The Juggle examines the choices and tradeoffs people make as they juggle work and family. The site provides readers with news, insight and tips on parenting, workplace issues, commuting, caregiving and other issues busy readers with families face. It is also a place for readers to share and compare their own work-and-family experiences and to seek advice and recommendations. The Juggle is includes regular contributions from other staffers at the Journal. Contact the Juggle with ideas or suggestions at thejuggle@wsj.com